E Monitering
...o monitor its employees e-mail communications? Since there are no clear consistent laws addressing employee privacy rights, employers are left to their own company policies. With all new technology there are both benefits and drawbacks. The benefits are clear. E-mail communication improves productivity in the workplace because of the speed and responsiveness with which communication can take place. Instead of trying to contact someone by phone, or within one's own company having to walk to their office or initiate memos back and forth, workers can now simply communicate their ideas through e-mail quickly and efficiently. The major drawback of this improved technology is that employees do not have the assurance of privacy. There is nothing to prevent an employer from looking at intercompany e-mail communications and even using this information against an employee at a later time. Many employers feel that they have a right to intercept and read employee e-mail messages in order to effectively monitor employee work and maintain control of the workplace. The employer has some good points in his argument that he has a right to monitor e-mail messages. It needs to protect confidential and privileged information from being intercepted by competitors, and since there are no laws against it then it can not be tried(Sondheim 62). What expectation of privacy should employees expect when writing an e-mail? Employers feel that they have a responsibility and duty to monitor the workplace. The employees feel that they have a right to privacy when they are communicating to a client, co-worker or friend via the company e-mail. Employees argue that they believe their e-mail should be private and that even employers should not be able to intercept and read these messages. Employers, on the other hand, argue that the need to monitor employee e-mail communications is imperative in order to investigate employees work related activities and prevent theft, insider trading or other illegal conduct, as well as to measure productivity, efficiency and quality control. "Advocates of employers having access to employee e-mail have argued that activities which take place during the workday on company premises belong to the company, for which they have a right to access and inspect."(Burke48). In other words, they argue that employers have a property right to the work of their employees. Does an employer’s position in the business entitle him to certain property rights over e-mail communications occurring within the workplace? Employers say yes, but the employees think that it is none of there business. There are measures which employers should take to avoid or minimize future battles with employees regarding employer monitoring. First, there should be a company-wide policy which clearly explains to the employee that they should not have an expectancy of privacy in their e-mail communications. This will make the employees aware of the fact that if they are pondering sending a message which they would not want anyone to read, except the receiver, then they should not send it. Second, the employee should be aware of the fact that the computers in the workplace which they use to send their e-mail communications are the property of the company, and should be used for business and not personal purposes. Accordingly, any use of the e-mail communication system for unauthorized purposes are done at the employees own risk, and will be subject to employer monitoring. This action by the employer will guard it against the uncertainties of the ...